The research dataset “Statistics on international financial and capital transactions (SIFCT)” provides the microdata collected by the Deutsche Bundesbank for the compilation of the financial account, capital account and investment income of the German balance of payments statistics. The research dataset provides detailed information on capital transfers receivable and payable between residents and nonresidents, the acquisition and disposal of nonproduced, nonfinancial assets as well as transactions involving financial assets and liabilities and investment income. It is supplemented by the country of the counterparty and the sector classification of the resident firm. The research data are available from 2001 as a panel dataset with a monthly frequency.

All German residents have to report the capital transactions, financial transactions, and investment income exceeding €12,500 or its equivalent in another currency that they receive from on residents (receipts) or make to non-residents (expenditure). The amount of €12,500 is not applied to a single transaction but to the total amount per month, country and transaction code. There is no reporting threshold for MFIs for income payments on securities vis-à-vis non-residents. Exempt from reporting are granting and repaying loans and deposits with an original agreed maturity of up to 12 months (although interest from these transactions does require reporting). The same applies if residents forward payments between non-residents. In connection with long-term loans, payments from MFIs are exempt. This excludes transactions (including any assignment of claims) in conjunction with long-term borrower‘s note loans, registered bonds and similar non-marketable securities. If firms undertake mutual transactions and then offset payments, they have to report the values of individual transactions rather than netted values payable to the trading partner. Taxes are also included in the reported transaction values. Transactions are to be reported when they occur, rather than when payments are made (accrual accounting).